Leave You
by Midnight Fire Crystal
Summary: Best friends, James and Lilly, are being parted after 7 years... What will happen to their friendship when they no longer see each other?
1. Chapter 1: England

The sea lapped at the sand as the noise of the party faded into the ever growing darkness. The murmur of music changed from the fast upbeat songs, to a slow, calm song, which was a welcomed change. He took her by the hand and spun it high above her head so she twirled underneath. He put his arm round her waist so her own arm crossed her stomach; they walked like this up the beach, comforted by each other's warmth, happy in each other's silence, soothed by the sea.

As they walked Lilly rested her head on James' arm. They soon came up to a small alcove within some large rocks. Still hand in hand they sat. A cold, light sea spray kept the two of them cool in the ever fleeting warmth of summer. James stared out over the calm, black sea, the full moon reflected on its surface. Lilly glanced at him; he looked worried, which instantly pulled her out of her own thoughts.

"What's wrong?" She asked, trying to hide the tone of concern that floated on her voice.

"Oh, nothing," he replied, shaking his head and blinking away his thoughts.

"James," Lilly said, sternly, "I know you too well, what's bothering you?"

"How long have we known each other?" He said in a small voice as he turned to face her.

"Seven years, eight in September," she was beginning to worry, "why do you ask?"

"I just wondered if you still remembered the day we met."

"Of course I do, how could I ever forget the day that some kid I barely knew stood up to a group of bullies when I couldn't myself?"

"Do you still remember what you said to me just before we left the school grounds?"

"Yeah" she took her hand out of his and held it out to shake hands, "'friends forever, no matter what'," she recited

James took her hand "no matter what" he repeated

"Now will you tell me what all of this is about?" Lilly said as she released James' hand.

He looked down at his hands and sighed "I have to move."

"Please say you mean to another street or at furthest another town." She pleased, feeling sharp pains behind her eyes.

James looked up at Lilly then quickly out to sea. "I'm sorry" he whispered in a shaky voice as he dropped his head again.

"Where are you moving to?" Lilly choked back tears at the thought of losing her best friend.

"America", he sighed

"When?"

"Four weeks tomorrow"

"Why are you leaving? I thought you said we would always be together." A tear escaping from her eye.

"I know, I did. I thought I was but my brother got accepted into Stanford and my dad's job transferred him out there and my mum doesn't want the family to split." James dared to look up at Lilly and saw tears streaming down his face and wished he didn't have to go. "Please don't say anything to the others; I want to tell them when I can face it." He said in a small voice.

"So wait you haven't told Jack or Matt yet?" Lilly asked, trying to wipe away her ever flowing tears.

"Not yet I wanted you to be the first to know, sorry for ruining you night."

"It's not completely ruined, you could do worse." Lilly tried to joke but only just forced the smile to show it.

Through the seven years James had known her he had never made her cry, he couldn't stand it when she cried but in that moment then he couldn't do anything, unlike before when he could take away her pain this time he couldn't, there was nothing he could do to stop it. He knew this goodbye would be hard and he couldn't say what he wanted to say because it would make it even harder, he wouldn't be able to leave. He wanted to tell her but he was unsure of how she would react. He couldn't take the pain if he ruined their friendship just before he left. If he did ruin it there was a chance he would never be able to make it up because he may never see her again.

James looked at his watch, nine thirty. "I better get you home." He said he really didn't want to take her home; he wanted to cheer her up.

"Yeah" Lilly tried to smile, but wished she didn't have to go home, she didn't want to leave him; she didn't want this night to end so the end of the four weeks would never come.

James looked up into Lilly's eyes. His hand moved up to cup her face as he wiped away her tears with his thumb. "Please don't cry, I wish I could stay, I really do." He begged "I'll write letters when I can, if they're letters I can write them during school. And they're cheaper than texts and-"

James was stopped by Lilly's finger pressed to his lips, "I'll write back, but please" her hand fell back to her lap and she looked down "I'm sorry." Her tears began to fall again.

James used the hand that was still cupped round her face to get her to look back into his eyes, "please, you have nothing to be sorry for, I hate to see you cry. I'm so sorry." And with that he tilted his head and pressed his lips gently to hers. Suddenly Lilly felt all the sadness and pain, of losing a friend, ease. I that moment she was almost completely happy but it ended too soon.

James pulled away and stood up, holding his hand down to Lilly. "I better get you home before the tide comes in and we get stuck here." Lilly reached up and took his hand and pulled herself up. But Lilly was too close to the edge of the rock she was sitting on so she fell directly into James, who had to take a couple of steps to steady himself.

"I'm so sorry." Lilly blushed.

"It's okay." James smiled down at her. James stood a head taller than Lilly, he bent his head and kissed the top of her head lightly, "please no more tears. I should be the one who's sorry and I am. I wish there was something I could do. I pleaded with my parents but they wouldn't listen. I tried to reason with them but-"

"It's fine, I know you tried. I know you wouldn't leave without trying."

James sighed, "I better get you home."

Lilly nodded in response, she couldn't look James in the eye, she was just getting some control over her emotions. She hated losing control, round James she was good with keeping control but tonight it was slipping away too fast for her to cope. James squeezed her hand lightly and began to lead her up the beach to the steps that lead off the sand. Lilly walked half a step behind James, trying to slow his pace; she didn't want her time with him to end.

They were walking down Lilly's road when James wrapped his arm around her waist. As they neared her house James tightened his grip and when they were outside it James spun Lilly round to face him and snaked his other arm round her back and squeezed her against him lightly. "I need you to understand that I never wanted this to happen. I want to stay. I-" James was cut off again. This time Lilly had risen onto tiptoes and pressed her lips to his briefly.

"There, that shut you up." Lilly giggle, she didn't realise she did till James smiled at her.

"Sorry." He said as he looked into her eyes.

"I know you don't want to go and I know you didn't realise this was going to happen. I know you did all you could but we better go in before my mum worries too much."


	2. Chapter 2

Lilly was packing ready to go back to the dorm house, which was a lot closer to the collage than her house. She was just packing the red dress that she wore when James told her, her worst nightmare. That's when her mum knocked on her door. "Hey, Lilly you ready to go?"

"Nearly mum." She closed the lid of her second suitcase and pushed herself up. She walked over to where her mum stood, outlined by the door frame, and wrapped her arms round her mum's neck. "I love you", she whispered.

"I love you too." Her mum wrapped her arms round her and hugged her tightly.

They were broken from their embrace by the doorbell. "That will be James," Lilly said as she pulled away from her mum and galloped down the stairs but jumped the last five.

"Slow down Lilly, you'll hurt yourself" her mum laughed down the stairs at her.

"Sorry mum" Lilly called back as she opened the door to a laughing James.

"Eager to see me?" he asked in a cocky tone.

"No, of course not" Lilly laughed, "it's just you're only over an hour late." She looked at her watch; he was nearly two hours late.

James rubbed the back of his neck, "yeah sorry about that."

"So what's your excuse this time," Lilly teased.

"Same as always, my mum would let me go."

"She's the same as me" Lilly's mum popped up behind Lilly, kissed her cheek quickly and walked into the living room, just right of the front door, "but I'll stay out the way till you say bye."

"Thanks mum."

"So, where's your suitcase?" James asked, peering round the door looking for it.

"Oh. Right. Yeah. They're upstairs."

"They?" James questioned

"Yeah. I have two."

"Whoa, what are they filled with? The kitchen sink?"

"I'm a girl. Do I need to explain more?" They both laughed as they made their way up to Lilly's room.

"Damn, this place hasn't changed since we were kids."

"Well I thought that my whole life will be changing and I don't want to change with it so I thought the space I spend the most time shouldn't change." Lilly said walking over to her bed and sitting down.

"You always did look forward to the future, but scared of losing the past." James said quietly as he joined her.

"Do you blame me?" Lilly looked at him trying not to cry, "I lost my dad when I was young and my granddad a couple years later. Do you blame me for not wanting to forget them?" she bit her lip to stop the tears so hard it bled.

"Of course I don't." He said as he pulled her up onto his lap and wiped away one of the tears that had escaped. "You're one of the happiest, smartest and prettiest girls I know, Lils. You deserve better than the life you've been given but you've fought through it and are still living life to the full and still remember them." He kissed the top of her head lightly, "but please don't cry," he wiped more tears away with his thumbs, "your smiles much prettier." Lilly couldn't help but smile. James always knew exactly what to say to make her smile and cheer her up.

"I'm sorry." She croaked.

"Don't be, it's fine." James smiled down at her.

Lilly looked up to see James' chocolate eyes sparkling down at her. "Thank you." She whispered.

"You're welcome. We better get your stuff in the car and get going before it gets too late and I have to crash here for the night." He laughed.

"Yeah I don't want that." She stuck out her tongue out at him like a kid and got up. She got to the cases and picked them up just as James went to get them.

"Hey, I can carry them myself."

"I know. I was goin' to be kind but I guess you don't want my kindness." James laughed.

"I didn't mean it like that. I just don't want to be seen as weak." Lilly looked down.

"Ha. You. Weak. Never."

"Ha. Me. Weak. All the time."

"Who told you that?"

"Like everyone."

"Well they're all idiots."

"Nope, they can't all be idiots, there's too many of them."

"Yep, they are."

"Nope, you're the idiot."

"How?" James gasped, faking hurt.

"'Cause you think differently to everyone."

"Yeah, 'cause I think the truth."

Lilly put the cases down and hugged James. Calm seas met melted chocolate. James moves a piece of hair out of Lilly's face as his arm snaked round her waist. The moment they shared was quickly broken.

"Hey, you two, you going to leave today?"

Lilly pulled out of James' arms and turned to pick up her cases again as she called back, "yeah, just coming."

James' arm wrapped round her waist from behind and he kissed the top of her head. "I'm gonna hate moving."


	3. Chapter 3

In the car, James was playing music from his iPod through the stereo. Corroded's '6 Ft of Anger' was playing. Stuck on the motorway, James drumming along on the steering wheel and Lilly humming. Lilly turned and picked up the iPod and pulled up the password on the lock screen.

"I see you've put the password back on" Lilly laughed

"Yep, course" James grinned

"Let me guess" Lilly pressed the numbers "One. Nine. Nine. Six." The iPod unlocked "so predictable" Lilly smiled.

"Well I only have three passwords it could be or I'd forget them." He laughed

"Yeah, well…" Lilly went quiet as she looked at the screen "it just means I can do this." She laughed as she changed the song. Young by Hollywood Undead blasted thought the speakers. "We are young, but we have heart, born in this world as it all falls apart!"

"We are strong, but we don't belong, born in this world as it all falls apart!" James sung the next line

Lilly smiled, "I see I've finally got you into Hollywood Undead then."

James nodded. "Hey can I have my iPod a min, I have a song I want to show you. I found it a while ago."

Lilly handed him the iPod with a sigh. James scrolled through the playlists and found the song he was after. "Best thing 'bout tonight is that we're not fighting, could it be that we have been this way before. I know you don't think that I am trying, I know you're wearing thin down to the core." James sung along. "But hold your breath because tonight will be the night that I will fall for you over again. Don't make me change my mind. I won't live to see another day. I swear it's true because a girl like u is impossible to find. You're impossible to find."

Lilly looked at James with a smile spread on her face as James looked over at Lilly and put his iPod back between them and smiled a little shy smile.

The traffic started moving again so James looked back at the road and concentrated. They both left the iPod on shuffle, singing or humming along to the songs they knew. They were about five minutes away from their home-away-from-home when Owlcity began playing. Lilly couldn't help but smile knowingly at James, "you've had this since I told you one of my fave songs was by them, haven't you?"

James nodded shyly and smiles "I kinda got into them" then quickly added "so I wouldn't have to suffer anymore."

Lilly punched James in the arm lightly and laughed "hey, shut up! I know you love them really."

James stopped the car outside their temporary home and smiled. He got out swiftly and jogged round to Lilly's side and opened her door and Lilly climbed out and shut her own door as James got their cases out the back of the car. He carried them all to the door and as James fiddled with the key in the lock Lilly was in the process of picking her cases up but James bent down to grab all three cases but took her hands instead. James let go of her hands and turned to her and gave a half, crooked smile and said "you okay?"

"Mhmm" was all Lilly could reply with "I can take my own cases though"

"Yeah I know but I'm trying to be helpful."

"Well I don't need it" Lilly pushed his chest lightly and he turned back to the door and pushed it open and took all three cases in with him before she could protest again. Lilly followed him in and wandered into the living room after closing the door and she burst out laughing. James came to lean in the doorframe with his arms folded over his chest, after setting the cases down at the bottom of the stairs, and smiled "and what's so funny you had to make me jump?" James teased.

Lilly picked up a small piece of paper and handed it to James, "you remember this?" she giggled. On the piece of paper in James' hand was a note that was scrawled in scruffy illegible writing. James smirked then laughed "yeah, I remember. It wasn't my fault though, so don't blame me, blame Liam and Matt. They started it."

Lilly laughed and turned her back on James and walked further back into the room "I will when they finally show their faces." She laughed.


	4. Chapter 4

The sound of a key in the lock signalled the last addition to the house entering. After James and Lilly arrived it had taken a couple of hours for the rest to show up with Liam being the last… as always.

Lilly was just coming down the stairs when Liam closed the door. She creeped down the hall and threw herself on Liam's back "SURPRISE!" she shouted as she wrapped her arms and legs round him so she didn't fall off. Liam stumbled forward but caught himself on the door, as payback he took one of her feet and tickled it; she instantly released and fell to the floor with a thump.

"Still as ticklish as ever" Liam laughed, turning to face Lilly, slumped on the floor like a sulking little kid.

"Still a big, fat meanie." Lilly said trying hard not to smile.

Liam faked pain as he said "I'm not fat" he laughed though and held his hands out to help her up. "I'm sorry Lils but it is your own fault, you should know me well enough by now to know I would do that."

"Yeah true. But its still mean." Lilly giggled

"Silly" Liam laughed

James walked into the hall just as Liam had helped Lilly right herself. He looked at the two of them and couldn't help but smile. He walked up behind Lilly and looked at Liam "you being evil again, huh?" Liam looked back at James, "Me. Evil. Never." He laughed.

"You. Evil. All the time." Lilly laughed too as she took the two guys hands and dragged them into the living room and one by one pushed them onto different sofas. Liam slumped directly opposite James after both were over dramatic with their falls. "Now you two better wait here or you don't know what will happen" Lilly said over her shoulder as she left the room

"Oooo, I'm so scared." Liam called sarcastically after her before a giant red cushion hit him in the face. Once the cushion had fallen off his face he looked at a James acting innocent, James looked up at Liam "what?" he asked as innocently as possible, which wasn't much because he couldn't help but laugh. The red square came flying back at him at high speed. He stuck his feet up and sent the square back across the room again, only to stop with Liam's face imprinted in it again.

"Geez man, you have fast reactions." Liam laughed, pulling the cushion away from his face and tossing it to the middle of the room.

"Well, what can I say, I've been waiting to hit you in the face all summer." James laughed and waited for Liam to make a sarcastic comment but he didn't, he just laughed.

Lilly walked back in with Matt, Suzan and Chrissy in tow. The four of them looked at each other in confusion then looked back to the two laughing boys. Lilly cleared her throat "Ahem, what's the joke?" she asked. Liam and James looked at each other, then to the group in the door way, then back each other again. "Erm. Nothing" both of them said as they sat up straighter on the sofas. The four in the door way went to join the two guys on the sofas as they stared telling each other about their summer and things that happened in the dorm house before and the friends that had already left. Soon they were all laughing and reminiscing on past memories.


	5. Chapter 5

Lilly woke with a gasp. For the past three weeks of being in the dorm house she couldn't sleep well, she found herself sleeping after classes rather than at night. Her friends were only just noticing but they didn't ask too much, to her relief.

She was finally getting her breathing and heart rate back to normal when there was a light knock on her door, causing both to race. She squinted through the dark to try and focus on the figure in the door way. She could make out James, smiling weakly at her. "You okay?" he asked, seemingly worried.  
>"Yeah" Lilly mumbled "Just a bad dream…" She trailed off; she didn't want him to ask what the dream was about. "Why you still awake?" she asked trying to avoid the subject.<p>

"Can't sleep…" he answered quietly as he looked at her. The only light in the room was from the street lamp outside, through her curtains, which gave the room a blue tint. Before he knew what he was doing he had crossed her room and was sitting next to her on her double bed, leanings against the headboard. Lilly leaned her head on his shoulder as he snaked his arm round her shoulders and held her close to him. Lilly felt better in James' arms, she always did.

James looked down at Lilly and couldn't help but smile. She looked so perfect curled into his side. Lilly sat up straighter and looked him in the eye, she searched them for emotion but only saw happiness, she couldn't see love, lust or want. James felt his heart stutter in his chest as Lilly sat up higher so their faces were inline, only inches apart. She whispered into the darkness "I'm going to miss you." James looked into Lilly's pale blue pools and inched forward. Lips millimetres apart. Lilly closed her eyes and wished him to close the gap.

Thump. Thump. Thump. Lilly's eyes opened wide and both of them stared at her door. James sighed and moved away. "What the hell was that?!" Lilly almost shouted.

"I have no clue, I'll go see." James whispered back and got up and snuck to the door.

Lilly smiled at the open door as James said "What the fuck dude, its two a.m. What the hell you doing?"

"Erm…" Liam replied, "Erm… Erm.. I don't know" he laughed "I dropped something down the stairs"

"Like what"

"Erm… a laptop"

"Smart ass"

"Hey. Shut up." Both of them started laughing and Lilly smiled back in her room. She subconsciously put her thumb on her lower lip, wondering what would have happened if Liam hadn't thrown his laptop down the stairs. In that moment Lilly both loved and hated Liam.

Lilly rolled onto her side and stared at the clock. She closed her eyes and sighed, only five past two. She relaxed into the bed as she thought about her, James and Liam massing about and having fun. The bed behind her dipped but she didn't move or open her eyes. "Lils you awake?" James asked quietly, she said nothing so James scooted closer behind her and Lilly smiled into the night when James' arm laid over her waist protectively and his face was in the crook of her neck. He kissed lightly and whispered "Goodnight baby girl, sweet dreams." Then after a pause "I…" Lilly missed the end, they were too muffled by sleep…


End file.
